By Nektaria Stamouli
Greece and Turkey on Tuesday agreed to restart talks in a bid to resolve their disputed maritime claims in the Mediterranean.
The announcement by Athens and Ankara came after more than a month of growing tensions that brought the two countries to the verge of full-blown conflict.
“Greece and Turkey have agreed to hold the 61st round of exploratory talks in Istanbul, in the near future,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement, without specifying a date.
“The resumption of exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey is talks, rather than negotiations. Conducting talks means that we are trying to find rules on the basis of which we will negotiate,” Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in Athens, in a sign of how far apart the two sides currently are.
Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a videoconference with European Council President Charles Michel and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Turkish government said in a statement after the meeting that “Turkey-EU relations were discussed comprehensively” and “developments in the East Mediterranean were elaborated [and] it was stated that Turkey and Greece were ready to start exploratory talks.”
There have been 60 rounds of talks in the space of 14 years between the two neighbors that brought little progress before they were put on ice in 2016.
“President Erdoğan stated that the steps to be taken by Greece would be important in terms of reviving exploratory talks and other dialogue channels, and the course of the agreement reached,” the statement said.
There have been 60 rounds of talks in the space of 14 years between the two neighbors that brought little progress before they were put on ice in 2016.
Greece and Turkey have long-standing disagreements on a variety of issues, including Ankara’s exploration for energy in contested waters.
Relations reached a low point in early August when the Oruç Reis, a Turkish vessel, was sent to carry out seismic research in what Greece considers its continental shelf, part of Ankara’s wider energy exploration efforts in disputed waters in the Eastern Mediterranean. For more than a month, Greek and Turkish navy flotillas were lined up against each other, while the two countries’ leaders exchanged barbs on a daily basis.
Last week, after an intense diplomatic push by international allies, especially Germany, the Oruç Reis returned to port in Antalya, paving the way for talks. Erdoğan said Turkey pulled back its vessel to allow for diplomacy with Greece, but warned that this does not mean Turkish operations in the region are over. The Oruç Reis left port on Tuesday but, according to the Turkish newspaper Yeni Şafak, it remains in the Gulf of Antalya, much to Athens’ relief.
The U.S. has also been increasing its efforts to ease tensions, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expected in Greece in the coming days. Earlier this month, Pompeo visited Cyprus and called for dialogue among all parties. EU sanctions against Belarus have been held up because Cyprus wants them to be brought in alongside measures against Turkey.
After a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on Monday, Dendias called on Ankara to provide more “tangible examples of respect of international law” before an EU summit at which possible sanctions against Turkey will be discussed. That summit was supposed to be held on Thursday and Friday but has been delayed by a week as Michel has gone into quarantine because a security officer who had been in close contact with him last week tested positive for COVID-19.
In the Turkish statement, Erdoğan said he hoped the EU summit brings “a fresh breath of air in Turkey-EU relations” and said he was “confident” that Turkey-EU relations would be “brought under a positive climate” and “well-intended concrete steps would be taken concerning the Customs Union, the visa liberation, and the understanding on migration.”
Despite the agreement to start talks, Turkey on Tuesday issued a navigational telex (or NAVTEX — which serves as a warning to other vessels to steer clear of an area) for waters around the Greek island of Lemnos. Ankara accuses Athens of violating the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne by militarizing the islands close to its coastline. A similar advisory notice was issued last week for the island of Chios./ Politico.eu
